Patna: Amid continuing suspense over CM Nitish Kumar’s next move, Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi on Sunday said the JD(U) president would take oath as a Rajya Sabha member on April 10, setting the stage for a major political transition in Bihar.“After his oath in the Parliament, the BJP’s central leadership and NDA allies will sit together and take a decision over the next CM of Bihar,” Saraogi said.
The development is expected to bring an end to Kumar’s record-breaking tenure as Bihar’s longest-serving CM. With his entry into the Rajya Sabha, Kumar will also join a rare group of politicians who have served in all four legislative forums — the Bihar Legislative Assembly, Bihar Legislative Council, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.According to NDA sources, Kumar is likely to leave Patna for Delhi on April 9, a day after chairing what is expected to be his last cabinet meeting in Bihar on April 8. During his expected two-to-three-day stay in the national capital, he is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and other senior NDA leaders to discuss the formation of the next govt in Bihar.Kumar is likely to resign as CM on April 13, soon after returning from Delhi. He resigned from the Bihar legislative council on March 30 to avoid holding dual memberships beyond the 14-day constitutional limit.The BJP camp is visibly upbeat over the possibility of finally getting its own chief minister in Bihar, the only Hindi heartland state where the party has remained without the top post despite being part of the ruling coalition for nearly two decades.As the BJP is expected to lead the next govt, speculation has intensified over Kumar’s successor. Among the frontrunners are Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai, Bihar industries minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal and deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary, who also holds the crucial home portfolio. Rai, Jaiswal and Choudhary are all considered close to Shah and belong to the backward classes.Bihar legislative assembly Speaker Prem Kumar, who belongs to the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), is also being viewed as a possible dark horse if caste arithmetic becomes central to the BJP’s decision. In Bihar, EBCs account for 36.01% of the population, while backward classes make up 27.12%.There is also speculation Kumar’s only son, Nishant Kumar, may take a more active role in the JD(U) and the state govt, possibly even as a deputy chief minister.Kumar is also expected to attend a special three-day session of Parliament beginning April 16.
